Yeoman Farmers Yeoman farmers work the land they or some other family member own. One in for familys owned a slave and only the top ten families could be considered wealthy. Yeoman farmers organized their lives by their family, the season, and their neighborhoods. Marriage was the accepted starting point for making a family and a farm. Weddings were simple and most always held at the home of the bride. The groom and his attendants would arrive, and the groom would give the father of the bride a gift. The minister would conduct the service. Family and neighbors would attend, and after the ceremony they stayed to eat, dance, and party in their best clothes. The newly wedded couple didn't honeymoon, they either lived with their parents or went immediatly to their own house. Slaves Slaves could be found in every county of North Carolina, some areas more than others. The greatest concentration of slaves was were the Tidewater met the Coastal Plain, from Hertford south through Pitt and Wayne counties. These countries had two advantages that promoted growth of slavery: The soil was just above the level of swamps was some of the best in the state and the good lands were located close enough to ports to make marketing cost very little. The largest concentration was along the Roanoke River. Although most slave-owning North Carolinians owned only one or two slaves, most of the slaves lived on plantations.
Yeoman farmers work the land they or some other family member own. One in for familys owned a slave and only the top ten families could be considered wealthy. Yeoman farmers organized their lives by their family, the season, and their neighborhoods. Marriage was the accepted starting point for making a family and a farm. Weddings were simple and most always held at the home of the bride. The groom and his attendants would arrive, and the groom would give the father of the bride a gift. The minister would conduct the service. Family and neighbors would attend, and after the ceremony they stayed to eat, dance, and party in their best clothes. The newly wedded couple didn't honeymoon, they either lived with their parents or went immediatly to their own house.
Slaves
Slaves could be found in every county of North Carolina, some areas more than others. The greatest concentration of slaves was were the Tidewater met the Coastal Plain, from Hertford south through Pitt and Wayne counties. These countries had two advantages that promoted growth of slavery: The soil was just above the level of swamps was some of the best in the state and the good lands were located close enough to ports to make marketing cost very little. The largest concentration was along the Roanoke River. Although most slave-owning North Carolinians owned only one or two slaves, most of the slaves lived on plantations.